Ankylosing spondylitis is a common disease that affects up to 1% of the population. Its causes are unknown, and the treatment results, until recently, were not the most reassuring. Nonetheless, doctors in developed countries successfully treat ankylosing spondylitis today. Doctors perform surgical procedures to stabilize the spine and relieve pain.
Content
- How does the disease develop
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
For the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, surgical interventions are performed. Doctors stabilize the vertebrae, eliminate areas of spinal stenosis, and, if necessary, perform joint surgery.
You can contact the following clinics: University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University Hospital Heidelberg, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main.
You do not have to solve organizational issues on your own. Book a medical care program through the Booking Health service on the most suitable dates. We will help you find a clinic and organize your trip.
How does the disease develop
According to a German study involving 3 thousand patients, it was found that 90% of cases of the disease occur at the age of 15-40 years. Only in 4% of cases the disease develops earlier, and in 6% of cases, it occurs later than this age.
Men suffer from this disease three times more often than women. The representatives of different sexes have a different course of the disease. Men are more likely to suffer from problems with the spine, while women have hip and ankle joints more affected.
Pathology develops sharply and manifests itself as back pain. But since there are many causes of pain, the diagnosis is often made with a significant delay. It averages 8 years after the onset of the first symptoms. The disease is usually diagnosed after the development of sacroiliitis (sacroiliac joint inflammation), which can be detected on an X-ray scan.
The first sign is usually a dull pain in the buttocks and lower back in the morning. It lasts for several hours and disappears spontaneously during the day. At first, the pain is one-sided, then it becomes bilateral, intensifies and becomes worrying at night. With ankylosing spondylitis, the vertebrae gradually grow together, forming a "bamboo spine". Pathology spreads from the bottom up.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis can be assumed if at least 4 of 5 criteria are present:
- age under 40;
- the presence of back pain;
- stiffness in the morning;
- sudden onset;
- relieving pain during exercise.
The diagnosis can be made with the results of X-ray or CT scans. The images show signs of sacroiliitis.
If there is no sacroiliitis yet, then the diagnosis is made if there are such criteria: back pain, uveitis (inflammation of the choroid of the eye), enthesitis (damage to the attachment of tendons to the bones), a positive HLA-B27 test and an increased level of C-reactive protein. To clarify the diagnosis, an MRI scan is performed.
Treatment
Conservative therapy is used in the early stages. It can help relieve pain and inflammation. There are no conservative therapy methods that would improve the condition of the spine or slow down the progression of the disease.
The disease progresses, and there is a need for surgical treatment over time. It is performed in case of severe spine deformity with pain syndrome, spinal stenosis, and complications: spinal fractures. Sometimes hip surgery is required.
Vertebral fractures in the cervical spine are especially dangerous. In the worst cases, they can lead to paralysis. To relieve neck pain and neurological symptoms, cervical angle correction is performed.
With spinal fractures, the pain increases, and with non-union, false joints are formed. As a result, spinal column deformity is aggravated. Dorsal fixation or osteosynthesis is required for treatment. Doctors perform spinal surgery and fix the vertebrae with auto-bone.
In Germany, transpedicular fixation is used. The spine is stabilized by passing fixing screws through the pedicles (stubs) into the vertebral body. The method provides immobility at one level and, if necessary, makes it possible to correct axial deformities of the spinal column.
If you want to find out how much is the diagnostics and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis in Germany, you are welcome to use the Booking Health service. Our website presents the best clinics in Germany and the cost of treatment using different methods. You have the opportunity to compare prices in various hospitals to book a medical care program at a favorable price. Leave your request on the website and get advice from medical tourism specialists. The Booking Health staff will arrange your trip to Germany for treatment or rehabilitation.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
Verywell Health
The Lancet
